


I’ve forgotten how long it has been…

by thiective



Series: Nothing is Set in stone... [2]
Category: X -エックス- | X/1999
Genre: Expansion to Nothing Set In Stone verse, F/F, F/M, Fem Kamui, M/M, Magami Clan being majorly uncaring towards those that are kage-nie, Magami Clan being one of those secretive and prideful clans, More characters will be added on, Sweet to sad and bittersweet, implied pairings as always
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-08 02:53:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11072577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thiective/pseuds/thiective
Summary: Side story to some of the sentences in “Because I’ll Laugh and Wave My hand now”, these 15 shorts and epilogue explore the relationship between Kazumi, otherwise known as fem!Kamui, with Seishirō and Subaru. It also explores a bit of Kazumi’s relationship with Seishirō and characters connecting to them. Their story told by different people that are close to them, and sometimes themselves.Note: The title came from the song “Fairytale” by Guang Liang, otherwise known as Michael Wong. Other inspirations are EXO’s “12 Miracles of December”, and P!nk’s“Who Knew”, “Departures Blessing” from EGOIST are partially inspiration for this fic.Extra-Note: Kazumi’s clothes will be referenced to the ones described in “Because I’ll Laugh and Wave My Hand now.”Extra-Extra-Note: X/1999 belongs to CLAMP, it’s been quite a while since I’ve read their manga.





	1. Inadvertently (Based of #2, Kiss)

When he was 9 and his ascension as the 13th head of the Sumeragi Clan, Subaru was running late to meet with his grandmother and took a detour away from Ueno Park.

Inadvertently, this has caused a series of gears of destiny to change and the future from what’s it set to originally be, especially that fateful encounter. Where else in another dimension, another Subaru met a certain Sakurazukamori while trying to exercise the same tree that the Sakura assassin guards.

And in his place, stood a little girl, no older than eight with a sunny smile that turns into a worried frown as she saw something she wasn’t supposed to see. She only managed to get a glimpsed of a hand punching through a girl’s body, but her mind is eclipsed into a bliss and the strings were cut when she crumpled onto the ground. When she awoken, she sees a teenage male kneeling in front of her with worry.

“Ojou-chan, are you lost?” The teen asked, the little girl looked around. Strange, she could’ve sworn…the petals falling around them was enchanting and dancing like they usually do. However, she could not help but sensed an energy source. She blinks away the haze as she saw the sprawled out dead body in front of her.

“Why is she dead?” The teen blinked in surprised, but the girl doesn’t make any move as she watched the red pool of what looks like paint sinks beneath them. Somewhere in the back of the mind, something warned her that she should go, but she stubbornly held on.

“The Sakurazukamori got to her, the tree needs the souls of the ones that Sakurazukamori kills in order to balance the order.” The teen explained, a little truth wouldn’t hurt, he watches the girl, studying her.

“Will the girl be lonely?” The teen blinks again, once again surprised, but gives her a smile he was sure as reassurance.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Then a smile blooms on the little girl’s face, small, bright, innocent and full of relief.

“Then I’m glad.” The teen male was stunned at the compassion the girl contains.

“How about we play a game, ojou-chan?” Her mind fades in the darkness, drowns out her answers and she wakes to her mother shaking her hysterically. While she doesn’t see it, the back of her hands shown brightly of inverted pentagrams, marking her. The mark of the prey to the malicious tree, the lamb to the slaughter, and being a plaything for its puppet, the wolf in sheep’s clothing.


	2. Shirou Kazumi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subaru and Hokuto meet Kazumi for the first time.

Subaru was with Hokuto, when he heard running footsteps in the hallway. The servants where hush-hush, the fluttering footsteps against the wooden floorboards sounded. Hokuto and Subaru exchanged looks, confused as to why the guards’ didn’t’t do anything.

Out of curiosity, the twins strain their ears when they heard “why is a _Shadow_ here?!”, “the Kamui has been targeted!” and a partial sentence that sent the twin spiralling deeper into the confusion and sparking more of curiosity, “touched by Sakurazukamori!”. That cause whispers raged into frenzy and voices risen higher that can be easily heard through the screen doors when they heard a sharp clap and an equally sharp voice of “silence” from their grandmother, the 12 th head of the Sumeragi Clan. The sounds hushed eerily, the tension itself was there but not suffocating, and there was muffled sobs from a woman the twins didn’t hear before.

“Subaru. Hokuto.” The twins jumped a foot in the air when they heard their grandmother’s voice. Though her age may have continued on dwindle her physical strength as time passes, her magic had not and she was able to feel her grandchildren’s presence and their unabated curiosity.

The screen door in front of the twins open and a child, shoulder length dark brown hair with light and bright amethyst eyes was ushered in by a woman, equally long dark brown hair with light and wary amethyst eyes rimmed red and cheeks puffy. Connecting the dots, the twins were able to figure out that the woman in front of them was the woman they heard crying earlier. Their grandmother stepped next to the woman and said “why don’t you play with Kazumi-chan, while I talk with her mother?”. Alarmed, the child, dubbed Kazumi look up at her mother.

“Mama?” The woman smiled, bent down and gathered the child into her arms, tightening in fear for her daughter’s life and the role she plays. “Sweetie, mama needs to talk with Sumeragi-sama for a bit. Why don’t you go play with the twins for a bit?” The child returned the hug, bit her lip, and nodded. Obviously knows when it came to talking between two adults, it’s going to take a long, long time.

“Ok.” Kazumi pouted, and despite the circumstances, the mother laughed a bit – such a melancholic laugh it was.

“After this, we’ll see Auntie Saya and Kotori-chan, ok?” Kazumi brightened immediately, and Subaru couldn’t help but feel a vague disappointment that the new playmate would rather play with her friend than with him. Hokuto had this twinkle in her eyes, as if she knows something and couldn’t help but enjoy watching it unfold before her.

After “good girl” and the screened door closes shut, Kazumi turns around and looks at them with excitement and grins at them.

“So what do you guys want to do?” Subaru blinks and loss of words, Hokuto, being the older twin, sniggered and decided to play dress up with her…making Kazumi seriously regretting to ever let Hokuto dress her up in the far future.

What didn’t escape both of the twins notice, were the pentagram marks on both of Kazumi’s hands.


	3. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hokuto teases Subaru, and Subaru is being his normal self. Denying about the crush for Kazumi, who accepted him for who he is.

It wasn’t until the sunset and Kazumi and her mother bid farewell to the Sumeragis. Although sadden at the possibility he wouldn’t be able to see Kazumi again, he was no less curious about the word “Sakurazukamori” and the strange pentacles on both of her hands while they were playing together, she hadn’t wore the gloves at that time. However when it was time for both parent and child to go home, she was wearing a pair of white gloves and he could no longer felt the strong magic and power that Kazumi seems to have.

“Subaru?” Broken from his thoughts, he looked at Hokuto with a questioning look.

“You like Kazumi-chan, don’t you?” He blinked at the question.

“Well she is our friend.” Hokuto sighed and gave him a look.

“I meant, do you like _like_ her?” Hokuto asked bluntly, and he was fairly sure his face was red in embarrassment. He didn’t want to reply to that question yet since his last crush on the opposite sex had ended in disaster. Indirectly though he was saved by spotting his grandmother in the gardens.

“Oh look! There’s grandmother, bye!” He knew it was rude to end the conversation right there and then, but he _really didn’t_ want to answer that question and furthermore ignoring Hokuto calling for him was against his nature, but he couldn’t help it.

The question about his feelings for the eight-year-old Kazumi scared him, even though she is…cute, nice, open minded, fun and…oh dear. He shook his head, and hurried to his grandmother’s side. He has some questions for her.


	4. Vow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Information dump can make you feel daze or do things mechanically, it only serves to make Subaru determined to help Kazumi for the future that will come.

In a daze, he functioned mechanically, automatically smiling at Hokuto and saying everything is ok whilst brushing of her concerns for him. The information dump about the history of “Sakurazukamori”, the involvement of the “Magami Clan” and “the Kamui” was enough to shake his world.

The power he felt earlier from Kazumi wasn’t lying, it was there, but to know that Sakurazuka Clan had his hand on her and his late father was enough to worry him. Subaru liked animals, he’s a natural empathetic and they are easy to become friends with. Subaru loves his relatives, especially Hokuto and his grandmother.

Kazumi…he liked Kazumi enough to open up to as a friend. However to think that she would be “the Kamui” of either sides of the Promise Day was frightening enough to fear for her safety, even for her mentality. Also with her being marked as “prey” by the Sakurazukamori has already raised the bar for his worries. But to deserve such a fate…Kazumi is nice, she doesn’t deserve to shed blood on her hands, she’s full of life, innocent and beautiful and…and…oh… _oh no_. All too sudden, his thoughts started to point back to Hokuto’s question. 

 _‘Do you like like her?’_ , that one question echoes through his mind, imagination took over as he remembered what it’s like to hold her hand, what it felt like to hear her laugh and to know she isn’t scared of him. The desire within him to protect her flared…and he opened the screen door leading to his grandmother’s room.

“Have you decided?” She’d asked, back facing towards him.

“I have.” Out of the corner of her eye, she watches him and his body posture, determined and ready.

“And?” She inquired, he didn’t hesitate.

“I want to protect her.” From that answer, she smiled.

“That’s good,” She said, a thought passed her mind and she smiled slyly, “are you sure it isn’t because you love her, Subaru-kun?”

“Grandmother!” Sure enough, her grandson’s face was bright red and she silently wishes good luck on Tōru’s, Kazumi’s, Subaru’s and Hokuto’s future. Unknowingly, loving her had sealed his fate as being Sakurazukamori in the later future.


	5. Sumeragi Hokuto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hokuto remembers the first meeting of Kazumi, and she slightly resents her for shaping her twin into who he is now.

Hokuto was curious, curious as kitten whom loves to play with a ball of yarn for a while and entertain itself. She hears the voices as well as her younger twin, Subaru. She and Subaru listened carefully, hearing the soft, panic, and frightful whispers turn louder with those soft padding footsteps from the servants of the household. Until all became silent by the sharp command from the other clan head, their grandmother. 

“Subaru. Hokuto.” She and Subaru jumped a foot in the air, Hokuto scowl at being caught off guard. Before she can utter a protest the screen door opened, a really adorable child, (perhaps a year younger than they are), is gently pushed in to the room they in by a woman. Shoulder length dark brown hair and big, wide and light violet eyes staring up at them curiously. Hokuto’s fingers itched, and the urge to dress up the child in front of her sparked.

The woman who ushered the child in front of them was obviously crying, and Hokuto wonder as to why these two have different expressions. The word, “Sakurazukamori”, must have a meaning. She’ll bother Subaru after he talk with grandmother. After telling the child, her name is Kazumi, to play with them while she talked with their grandmother. Hokuto raised a curious brow when Subaru look slightly sadden at how Kazumi’s mother tried to cheer her up about visiting her other friend. _Interesting…_

After the door slid shut, Kazumi turned around and face them with a smile filled with excitement and a little of curiosity. “So what do you guys want to do?” That question surprised Subaru and Hokuto sniggered, it seems her little brother is developing a crush on Kazumi. The last time he had a crush on a girl…she sobered up and put that thought to the back of her mind, reaching for the other girl’s wrist and bringing her to her room with Subaru following behind them, confused. Hokuto gave in to the urge and decided to dress up Kazumi right there and then, after shooing Subaru away.

By the fifth dress up, and also an unfortunate accident for Subaru, Kazumi tripped over one of the dresses on the floor with a yelp. Subaru hearing the yelp, rush in and accidentally crashed into Kazumi before toppling backwards with Kazumi on top of him, wearing a frilly pink dress.

“Ah! Finally princess, your prince has arrived.”Hokuto playfully jabbed at Kazumi, to which both Kazumi and Subaru stared at Hokuto in shock. Subaru and Kazumi turned towards each other, and Kazumi’s shoulder began to shake, covering her mouth. Subaru’s concern for her heightens as he noticed tears gathering up from the corner of her eyes and she was…laughing? Hokuto glanced at her brother, and she was pleasantly surprised to see confusion and embarrassment on his face. Kazumi’s laugh was contagious and before they knew it, the twins were laughing with her.

Hokuto wonders how long ago was that memory of a young girl who used to play with them suddenly disappeared from her and her brother’s lives, only to reappear seven years later and in danger. Being called to an apartment in Tokyo by their grandmother, both Hokuto and Subaru enter the room, and all words in a form of greeting died from Hokuto’s lips. Her brother ran towards Kazumi, holding her close. Light amethyst eyes dull, glazed, alive and yet not living, star pentagrams glowing brightly from the back of both of her hands. Hokuto could only hope that Kazumi would be alright and that she lives. What she didn’t count on, was the fact that Kazumi would never be the same again.

“Please come back.” Her brother whispered into Kazumi’s ear, and what happens next was something neither she nor Subaru could tell whether it was the plea or..or something else that brought her back.

Kazumi’s eyes become clearer instead of dull and filled with haze…and she was crying. Prompting Subaru to hold her tighter and letting her cry on his shoulder after she brokenly whispered.

“Kotori.”

It wasn’t until later that Hokuto finally understood what Kazumi had meant by that word when one Kuzuki Kakyō begin to start appearing in her dreams, instigating talks and introducing themselves to each other…and about Kotori. By then she stopped visiting dreams, by then she nearly died had it not been Kazumi who rescued her from being decapitated by a student. By then, she was pleaded and begged by her brother that she should leave the country in order to avoid the tragedies that follow soon.

By then, she regretted leaving her brother alone to face everything by Kazumi’s side and often wonders why she hadn’t thought of taking him with her. By then when she came back, he wasn’t her brother that she remembers being born from the same womb, sharing the same bed and childhood. He became the enemy of the family they were both born into and she hates the fates conspiring on making them both suffer.

She resent Kak-hi No, she refuses to remember the name of the man who failed to tell her about the nature of Kazumi’s relationship with Sakurazuka-san.

She resents Subaru, a little, for not having a spine and continuing on the tragedy that befall on his predecessor.

She resents Kazumi, somewhat, for changing and taking away the brother she used to know of.

She resents Sakurazuka-san and Kotori a bit more, for changing their childhood happy playmate to something of a stoic and bewitching enigma.


	6. Kotori and baby Fūma ((A/N: I cackle at the last part))

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kotori was six when she befriends Kazumi, Fūma was young when he first met Kazumi. Their stories of their lives with Kazumi. One in how they almost become lovers, another where one desires the other of what could never be theirs to begin with.

_ Kotori’s Story _

Kotori looked at her Aunt Tōru in confusion. Having her hand gripped tightly by what she and her mother talked about sent off a feeling in her mind that something is wrong, but she stayed silent and listened to what Aunt Tōru has to say.

“Kotori-chan, what do you think of Kazumi-chan?” The blond child looked at Tōru with a jubilant smile that it made Tōru withheld a flinch and wondering what she is doing is right.

“I think she is beautiful and I would like to be her best friend. I think Fūma likes her as well.” Kotori said, remembering quite well that whenever Kazumi visited, she goes to the crib and visits Fūma, who is cooing and giggling at having fun. This time, Tōru flinches and Kotori looks at the older amethyst woman with confusion. Was it something she said?

“Do you love her?” Kotori tilts her head at that question and hums before giving the same smile that she had given earlier.

“I love her loads!” Tōru chuckles at this, but the weighing of the answer that the current head of the Sumeragi clan provided weighed in her head, making her want to curl up into a ball, holding Kazumi in a protective hug and screaming and sobbing at the unfairness of the world. She couldn’t do this to her best friend and almost lover’s children.

“Enough to protect her?” The question slips past Tōru’s lips before she could stop it. Kotori blinks at the question before giving a small smile.

“If it’s within my power, I’ll do it. I can sense Kazumi-chan’s power, and even though I’m not as powerful as her, I’ll do my best!” This has brought a tremulous smile on Tōru’s lips and she very much wanted to reach and hold Kotori close, apologizing over and over again for being so utterly selfish, and hope if Saya can find within herself, to truly forgive her for what she is about to tell Kotori.

“Kazumi-chan’s life is in danger,” Kotori looked at her with worry and seriousness that Tōru almost laugh at how adorable it is on a child’s face. “It’s why she’s wearing gloves now.” Kotori looks at Tōru before looking at Kazumi chatting exciting with her mother, having noticed for the first time that she is wearing white gloves. The gloves gave her a feeling of magic suppression, but she could easily feel it emanating from them.

“Are those gloves suppressing something, Auntie?” Aunt Tōru’s face turned pained and she nodded.

“That’s why I’m entrusting this spell to you. She needs to live past that. It goes like this…”

Two years later, her mother died and she had no recollection of how she died. She only remembers waking up in her father’s arms, but the sudden appearance of a bloody sword and _blood. blood. blood_ everywhere left quite gap of memory between that and the last memory of her mother being alive. Whenever she tries to recall, she ends up with a headache and a feeling of fear. She didn’t bother to recall again, that is until her father told her and her brother, who is barely old enough at that time, to be learnt that their mother isn’t coming back. She remembers how her mother was torn to pieces for birthing the Shinken, how there was blood everywhere, and then the darkness came. Before she woken up again, she had come to learn that their mother never truly loved their father.

_Five Years Later_

It was the year of 1988 when Aunt Tōru died, and Kazumi was just only fourteen when she witnesses her mother burned alive along with the house they lived in.

Kotori remembers her promise to her late aunt. She remembers holding Kazumi close and letting her cry on her shoulder at Aunt Tōru’s funeral, remembers how Kazumi shakily gives out her speech and her glove hands trembling. Kotori remembers offering Kazumi to stay over, and holding her in her arms while she slept with tears continue to leak on her nightgown and sheets. By now, Kazumi is living with them, as normal as it could be in Tokyo.

She smiles with Kazmui as they boarded off the train, and Kazumi bumps into a tall stranger with amber eyes and a polite smile that seems to be frozen on his face. Kazumi stutters out an apology while the amber-eyed stranger waves it off with a pleasant laugh. While Kazumi doesn’t know it, Kotori felt that something is definitely off about the man. Something bad or something good, she isn’t sure, but she is going to watch him more closely.

_Ten Months Later_

Kotori and Kazumi got to know the stranger, who happens to be a veterinarian near Ueno Park, named Sakurazuka Seishirō. Sakurazuka Seishirō was a well-known veterinarian, always kind and always helpful to them around their apartment, offering rides for Kazumi when she has to go to school. However Kotori knew by that their supposedly friendly veterinarian was the Sakurazukamori. His family name had given it away, and when she told Kazumi, she shook her head and laughed it off, telling her not to worry.

The thing is, Kotori is definitely worried. She saw how much Kazumi and Seishirō interacted with each other, how he always teases her whenever she blushes red in embarrassment and tried to stutter out an excuse for the reason on the growing the temperature of her face. She even threatened him with a glare and butcher knife for if he ever hurt Kazumi, she’ll kill him. It wasn’t until when Seishirō lost his eye to a desperate knife wielding woman and that Kazumi banged her fists and punching at the emergency doors, sobbing her heart out and legs give away to the floor that she realized Kazumi’s affection for the Sakurazukamori had evolved into love with resigned regret and worry, and had cemented her fear of Kazumi’s wellbeing with a broken heart.

A month later, everything had changed. Upon stumbling into their shared apartment, she found Kazumi sitting, staring straight ahead and eyes unfocused with glaze. Her hands trembled as she dialed a number on their home phone for the only clan that ever fought the Sakurazukas. The Sumeragis. Remembering what she needs to do for Aunt Tōru, Kotori walked towards Kazumi and encircling her arms around her roommate’s shoulders. So focused on sadness and desperate hope, she hadn’t even noticed an old woman who’s legs where on the floor and panting out of breath.

“Please come back to reality. I really missed you.” Letting go, she got the ceremony robs from her closet and gulped in nervousness. Making up her mind and gathering the courage of remember those sparkling violet eyes and shy smiles, Kotori’s eyes sharpened and she got dressed. Leaving a note on the door and a spare key under the welcome mat, she says goodbye to her best friend and almost lover one last time before closing the door behind her. Was she afraid of dying? Yes, but if were to let the person she loves lives, then she won’t hesitate to die in her place. Just like her mother died for Kazumi’s mother.

_ Fūma’s story _

Fūma, at a young age, could only remember an older girl with brown hair, playing with him, along with his beloved sister. He doesn’t remember her eyes or her voice, but he remembers that she always smiles at him.

When she couldn’t come and play with him anymore, he threw up a tantrum. At least, that’s what his late older sister and father told him.

Two years after the girl left, his father told him that his mother can’t be with him anymore, and had decided to go on a long journey. Kotori, was bedridden, after receiving the news, and hasn’t woken up until a few days later. It wasn’t until later, when he understood death and perhaps slightly older, which is two years later after, he was given a lie and Kotori explained it to him with a trembling voice and hugging him tighter, that the truth was, their mother isn’t coming back. She was dead.

On the year of 1988, he heard that Aunt Tōru, isn’t coming back either. She was dead as well. It was also that year, that he met the mystery girl once, and he barely remembers her features at all. Long brown hair, amethyst eyes, white shirt, white gloves, and jeans shorts with sandals. The mystery girl was - _is_ \- pretty. It was when Kotori and her, both decided to go to Tokyo and live there for a while. Her name is Shirō Kazumi, and since then, while he did not know, he finds himself liking Kazumi. For the gentle smiles, her beautiful eyes and her kindness, and yet she always have an etched of melancholy in her presence. He wonders what it takes to make her fully happy. Since then, he had clung to her like a child to a mother. While she wasn’t his mother, she doesn’t seem to mind and would smile pleasantly around him.

He was four back then when both Kotori and Kazumi decided to live independently, for a year. While his father reluctantly agrees, due to the backing of Aunt Tokiko, Aunt Tōru’s younger sister, he had thrown a tantrum. Again, like those two years ago. He had tried everything, from messing up their dresses to coloring their faces with permanent marker until they had to wash it and rubbed their faces red. And yet, it didn’t deter them to not go.

“Why don’t you hate me?!” He shouted at Kazumi, who blinked, and cornered him into confessing as to why he had done those schemes to prevent them from going. He wasn’t looking, he wasn’t crying, not that he admit he was at that time, but still. Kazumi sighs, walks to him, kneels down and gathers him into her arms and letting him cry.

“I don’t, because what is there to hate when you are worried for Kotori-chan and I.” He stills, and he couldn’t find in himself as to why the waterworks aren’t stopping.

“It’s ok to be selfish to the ones you loved.” Right then and there, his heart decided that he loves her. Solemnly, he watches her and Kotori leaves, bags packed and ready.

It was then, a year later, neither Kotori, his beloved sister nor Kazumi ever returned. He feared the worst when he hears that Kotori was murdered, and that Kazumi had decided to not come back, and decided to leave the city. He hadn’t heard a word since then as he watches his father breaks down, and finds himself as a pillar of strength while he could barely tried to hold on.

It’s been ten years, and he barely remembers any of it. He’s in high school, and he wonders what Kotori will be like. Perhaps in college if she was alive. It was by coincidence that he meets a young woman. Brown hair that flows down to her mid-back, sad amethyst eyes, blank face with a cigarette in-between her lips and fingers, as if she is functioning but not seeing him there, and it frustrates him to no end that he feels that he should know her and that she should say…

“Hello, my name is Monou Fūma. What’s yours?” The young woman blinks at him in surprise, the white cloud drifts around her, and she stares, before looking away and blowing out the inhaled smoke. She looks back at him with reigned recognition.

“Shirō Kazumi, it’s been a while Monou-kun.” Not once, did she smile upon introducing herself to him. All polite and cold, and Fūma begins to wonder as to why it hurts and where her smile had gone.

When the battle for the Promise Day occurs, he figures out and hears the story of who stolen her smile. To makes matter worse, the person who stole her smile has become one of the people he finds on equal ground with as he becomes the Chi No Ryū’s Kamui. It was one of the most complicated friendship without trust he ever partake with that man, and the hate grew when Kazumi stares back at him and dispassionately says no about taking the eye, when she already has both, and he stills when he hears her voice.

“Don’t think that because I’m Sakurazukamori when he’s gone, it means automatically that I’ve become a member of the Chi No Ryūs. One side doesn’t need two ‘Kamuis’.” _Don’t think just because I was once your acquaintance, doesn’t mean that I won’t spare you_. Fūma stares wide-eyed back at her, and the feeling of loath towards Sakurazuka Seishirō was cemented. He can’t forgive that man for laying a claim on his twin star nor for twisting her beliefs.

In the end, on his last breath, he resigns to the fact that Kazumi, the Kamui of Ten No Ryus, was never his to begin with.


	7. Shirō Tōru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tōru's story starts when she is fourteen and ends with fire and tears.

Tōru was fourteen when she received a dream, a prophetic dream, about two futures, two Shinkens, Earth Being Torn Apart by the conflict, and a voice saying she was destined to bear a ‘Kamui’ to the world and ‘Kamui’ will walk towards the Promised Day and decide the fate of Earth and the man kind.

When she was fifteen, she meets a Fumiyo Saya, one of her classmates that she gets along quite well at school as time passes by. Those dreams she has at night still continues, persists, until she wakes up with heavy air and cold sweat. She wonders if she should call her clan about this.

Tōru was sixteen when she caves in and calls home, calls her mother, and tells her about the dreams she’s been receiving, and becomes the cause of her insomnia. All she ever received was “So it’s about to start. Remember I’ll always love you.” She tries to call again, all calls were flat lined and never picked up.

At seventeen, Tōru never felt angry with her own life until now. Saaya was/is special to her, she was special to her, but it made her jealously angry that Saaya choose to be the girlfriend of the son of a priest, Monou Kyougo, a college student. Understandably, the society’s views of the same sex couples hadn’t been ideal either. The withdrawal of her clan was telling but she had too much pride to outwardly show it. All they’ve done was supporting her, financially, as if they were ready. When she inquired about her mother and her young sister, she was met by silence and was hung up immediately, much to her frustration. The dreams kept getting stronger, and she was finally met the owner of the voice that kept pleading for her help. A petite female, with long silver hair, sightless ruby eyes, in miko clothing, she is also mute. The petite female, told Tōru that she’ll need to find a male that would bore a ‘Kamui’ in order to protect Earth. Tōru woke, called the Magami clan, she doesn’t think it’s appropriate to associate it as her clan anymore. She was about to talk in plain and crisp tone, when an even softer voice came through talking.

“Nee-sama?” Tōru froze, and while she refused to associate with the clan for how they are treating her now. She couldn’t talk like that with her sister, and she smiles fragilely but she doubts her sister can even see it.

“Hello Tokiko-chan.” It’s been three years she last heard from her only sibling. Their conversation “How are you?” and “I’m fine” feels rather bland, but Tōru doesn’t care. She got to talk to someone who she cares a lot. Then, it came. “I can’t talk to you anymore.” Tōru’s breath stilled, and she hears the reluctant and frustration in her voice, but she’s glad. “I understand, and how’s mother?” the answer was that “She became a _kage-nie_ for Earth, the elders are saying we are running out of time.” That was the last conversation she had with her beloved sister. She heaved a sigh, and Tōru glares at her ceiling.

At the age of eighteen, she made some calls, with one important call to the Chairman of CLAMP Campus, and plans out her life. The first was to cut off all the ties she has with her clan. She doesn’t held any negative feelings towards them, even when her clan told her, but she feels saddened that there wasn’t much she could do for her sister. The second was to find someone, willing to be with her through all of this, take up their last name and let their first born go on a path that might as well be their death sentence for either the humanity or themselves.

Her name became a Shirō Tōru from a Magami Tōru. She isn't sure what hurts more, the expectant outcome of the situation she is in or the fact that the Magami Clan hadn't once lift their finger in a situation like hers.

By nineteen, she met an apathetic man with violet eyes and messy brown hair willing to go through with her conditions, it wasn’t even then, that she found out in a month she was pregnant. She was freaking out because she hadn’t done this before, back in high school she had wanted to have children with Saaya, and she found out that the apathetic man she met, wasn’t so much of an apathetic man at all. He was kind and caring, asking about the health of her and the embryo that’s growing within her, calming her down from the spouts of worry and fear in raising a what could be ‘a god’s will’, however he doesn’t seem to care for that and continues on caring.

Somewhere where she’s twenty, and four months in, she developed a sort-of-rapport-or-crush with the man she’s been coexisting now in a humble apartment. It was by chance that she met Fumiyo Saya, or rather Monou Saya, on a fine morning, and god, she looks beautiful. She’s smiling, the way her eyes lit up upon seeing her and how her current clothes fit her like a glove and emphasizes her curves, and Tōru remembers as to why she’s special to her. She loves Saya. She loves her so much, that she can’t help but feel guilty about the man she grown to care about. She and Saya talked, “it has been awhile.”, “how are you doing?” were the first questions. The following questions were about “how’s your family doing?” and “when will the baby come? Maybe we can arrange a playdate for them?”, and then it was time to go. Any mention of the father of the children both women are currently baring was avoided.

It was month later, and she couldn’t live with the guilt, so she told the father of her child about Saya, what she means to her and what _he_ means to her. He stands up, strides to her, kneels before her and cups her cheek. Smiles sadly at her. “I’ve figured it must be something on your mind when you came back on that day.” Tōru’s breath hitches. “If it’s alright with you, I want to stay with you until the birth of our child” The words _our child_ never felt so beautiful and heartbreaking, all at once, Tōru thought. “from there, we can choose our paths. If you would like for me to stay,” _For you and our child_ was left unsaid, but she knows as she sheds a few tears. “just tell me.” He was the only other person that got her to smile, happily and glowing, besides Tokiko and Saaya. She falls a little more in love with him after that, though not as much as she had with Saaya, but it was still love.

It was four months, the final month was torturous and the contractions were utterly painful. She was squeezing the father of their child’s hand hard, and while he tries not to wince at the curses she is saying, her red hair clings to the pillow and she was likely close to tears and sweat, there’s a lot of blood, and she _pushes_. Although they expected it to be a boy, the doctor identifies the baby to be a healthy girl. Hence the name, Kazumi instead of Kamui. It took a while for her to recover, but she finally did and both spent their time on doting on their child. It wasn’t until Kazumi was four and Tōru’s twenty four that Tōru wrote a letter and explaining her actions to the man. She took a couple of her belongings, their daughter, and left with a heavy heart towards another part of Tokyo.

Kazumi was six when she met Kotori, and Tōru was twenty seven that she meets Saya once again, that they finally caught up with each other. Saaya was expecting another, but she looks a little pale and smiles shakily at her. Tōru worriedly inquires about it, but Saya refuses to answer and it doesn’t becomes clear until another year after the birth of the second child, that Tōru begins receiving those visions again.

Tōru couldn’t look at her child’s hands, she couldn’t. She couldn’t forgive herself for having not kept watch on her, and being marked by the sakura assassin when she wasn’t looking.

She couldn’t forgive herself in letting it happen, and knowing that the Sakurazuka tree will consume her child if she doesn’t do something to reverse the situation. Which brings her and Kazumi to the only clan that only stood against the Sakurazuka Clan, the Sumeragi Clan.

Kazumi was eight when she becomes playmates to the Sumeragi twins after the stars that were branded on her pale hands.

In the years to come, the burning temperature consumes the house, and she laments as they are her regrets. One was never taking the chance of happiness with Saya when the opportunity was so desirable. Another is leaving _him_ without telling how much she still loves him, misses him, and how much she regrets leaving him without any word of where she and their child are. Next is leaving a heavy burden on two children. Most of all, leaving her most beloved treasure, alone in the world without any guidance or protection she can give. She blocks out the screams and cries of her daughter, her beloved Kazumi, and gives a parting smile. The words of ‘I love you’ or ‘I’m so sorry’ doesn’t leave her throat, instead what leave is…

“Go to Tokyo.”

The orange red flames and smoke consumes her. Her final memory were of her daughter’s tears.

“Kaa-san!”


End file.
